Pioneer woman Evie Teale (Katharine Ross) is headed west with her family to start a new life, only to have her husband, Jacob (Billy Green Bush), tragically die during the journey. Left to fend for herself and her two children in the middle of nowhere, Evie strikes up a friendship with cowboy Conn Conagher (Sam Elliott), who passes by while she's working as a food server. And Conagher certainly can help, as the area is under constant threat of attack, be it from Apaches or local bandits.